COMMUNITY PILL TESTING

Every year, young Australians lose their lives after taking dangerous pills.

The reality is that some people will always choose to use drugs – almost half of all adults have used illicit drugs – and the “tough on drugs” approach of Labor and Liberal governments has not only failed, but causes enormous harm and wastes huge amounts of emergency service resources.

The Greens know that drug use as a health issue, not a criminal issue. We’ve seen overseas and at trials here in Australia that when people get better information about the potentially harmful ingredients in a pill, they’re far more likely to bin it.

Under our plan, pill testing sites will be established all over the country where people can have their drugs tested for free. Our plan will:

Help people understand what they are taking and the risks involved

Connecting people with health services and drug counselling

Giving critical information to health professionals about what pills and other drugs people are taking

Create an early warning system for particularly dangerous batches of drugs

JOIN OUR CAMPAIGN

We are the only political party with the courage to take this issue on. Join our campaign and we’ll keep you updated on our progress, as we take our campaign to universities, neighbourhoods and Parliament House, to change Australia’s drug laws for the better.

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Expert endorsements for our plan

“This is a fantastic proposal by the Australian Greens for an initiative that is well needed in Australia. Pill testing services that are open to all people who use drugs will empower people to make better informed choices in terms of decisions around their drug use and reduce drug-related harm in their communities.”Penny HillCo-founder of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) Australia

“The Pill Testing announcement by the Australia Greens is strongly supported by Harm Reduction Australia. At a time when some governments seem intent on trying to take Australian drug policy back to the dark ages, it is vital that political leaders promote and support drug policies that are informed by the evidence and designed to reduce the harm to individuals, families and communities. Resourcing proven programs like pill testing and early warning systems will quite simply save lives. Our hope is that all political parties will now also support a public health approach to drug use instead of ever-failing rhetoric.”Gino VumbacaPresident, Harm Reduction Australia